Dark as Night
by EllaNight
Summary: Kate looks down to find big green eyes looking up at her, a black kitten rubbing his body against her ankle. She looks around to see if any one might be looking for him, but the people of New York don't stop, they continue rush past her as they usually do, minding their own business. Set some time during season 6. Second contribution to the Castle Halloween Bash. One-shot.


Kate has just finished the last of her paperwork and is more than ready to head home for the evening. She made Castle leave around five, insisting that there was nothing more he could do. She knows he would have stayed if she hadn't reminded him that he owed Gina a chapter by the end of the week, one she knows for a fact he hasn't started working on.

Picking up her coat from the back of her chair and sliding her arms through the sleeves quickly, Kate tucks her chair in and heads for the elevator, anxious to get home. It's been a long day, no case but mountains of paperwork and now that it's over she just wants to go home to her fiancé, sip on a glass of wine and maybe convince him to take a bath with her.

She secures the scarf around her neck when she exits the elevator once it reaches the ground floor, remembering how biting the cold felt this morning when she made her way to the precinct.

When she reaches the sidewalk, she lifts her arm to hail a cab but something brushing against her calf makes her pause. Kate looks down to find big green eyes looking up at her, a black kitten rubbing his body against her ankle. She looks around to see if any one might be looking for him, but the people of New York don't stop, they continue rush past her as they usually do, minding their own business.

He isn't her responsibility, not hers to worry about but Kate can't help noticing how fast the cars zip past her on the road, how mindlessly and briskly people walk past each other without sparing a second glance.

The streets of New York are far from being a safe place for a kitten. Biting down on her bottom lip, Kate looks down at the feline again, debates whether or not to let her heart make the decision as opposed to her detached rational mind. The green eyes looking back at her expectantly get the better of her, and she reaches down to let the kitten sniff her hand. He seems to hesitate for a second but then he rubs his cold nose against her fingers, walking a few steps to run the length of his body across her hand. Kate opens up her hand to run her fingers through his long, thick fur, scratching behind his ears softly and she can feel the gentle purr reverberate through his body, his eyes closing in content. He seems to feel safe with her like this, like he can ignore the mayhem of the city and the need to hide for shelter. It breaks something inside her and she makes a split second decision, ignores the part of her mind telling her this is crazy and she reaches for the kitten with both hands, picking him up in her arms.

She was afraid he might feel threatened, pull out his claws to get away or meow in protest but he nuzzles into her jacket when she holds him with one arm against her body. She has absolutely no idea what Castle will think about this but he's always said he wanted a dog, even before they were together. Maybe this wouldn't be so different?

It doesn't take long for a taxi to pull up beside her once she raises her unoccupied arm as a signal and she gives the cabbie the address to the loft. They can probably find something for him to eat at the loft.

"He better not leave claw marks all over my back seat," the driver warns nodding to the kitten in her arms but otherwise doesn't put up too much of a fight to her carrying an animal.

"I'll make sure he doesn't," Kate appeases him, looking down only to find the feline asleep in her arms. It doesn't look like he'll be too much trouble to control for the duration of the drive home.

She considers texting Castle, running this by him before taking him home to the loft but figures it's pointless. She already has the cat in her arms and if he really isn't on board with this then she can bring him to a shelter in the morning.

It's not that big of a deal, right?

Not much time to consider it though, now that the cab pulls up to the curb in front of her building. Kate hands the driver a twenty and steps out of the taxi. Eduardo gives her a quizzical look when she enters the building and he notices what she's holding to her chest but she just shrugs. She doesn't quite have an explanation for it either. Her walking seems to wake the kitten but he doesn't fight to leave her arms, just stretches his legs and licks one of his paws, his short, pink tongue a blatant contrast to his raven colored fur.

She grins at the sight. It doesn't matter that she's a grown woman, there's no helping it. This kitten is too damn cute for its own good.

Kate manages to unlock the door with one hand, doing her best not to jostle the cat and she makes her way inside, slipping off her shoes in the entryway.

"Thank god you're home, that chapter is kicking my ass and I really couldn't stand it anymore." She hears his voice come closer as he exits the office. "I was thinking we could call in for dinner because I don't know about you but I'm..." Castle's sentence trails off as he walks towards her and notices her huddling something to her chest. "Exhausted," he finishes lamely, his eyebrows furrowing in question as he gets within arm reaching distance. Kate looks up at him, a little shy but also with a little bit of excitement because, yeah, she just brought home a kitten and she's already getting attached.

"Is that a cat?" he asks, though she's pretty sure he already knows the answer considering how close he's standing.

"A very small cat," Kate confirms looking up at him. She can't help the smile that tugs at her lips at his confusion.

"You brought home a cat."

"I did." She's starting to get a bit nervous, anxious that maybe this isn't okay, that it's not something he wants. "He came up to me as I was hailing me a cab in the street and it really didn't seem like a safe place for a kitten. I thought- well maybe we could take him in? Otherwise I can bring him over to a shelter tomorrow. I just didn't have the heart to leave him there."

When she looks back up at Rick he's smiling so brightly it shocks her. "Have you gone soft on me, Detective Beckett?"

Kate scoffs and rolls her eyes but she lifts her arms to transfer the kitten from her arms to Castle's. "See if you could have said no to that face."

The cat doesn't seem too bothered by the transfer, meows softly, a high pitch sound leaving his tiny body and he quickly settles against Castle's chest, lying comfortably in his arm. "Okay... that's pretty cute," he admits looking back at Kate who gives him an "I told you so" look. He lifts his other hand to scratch around the kitten's ears, petting the length of his body. He continues the move until he remembers what date it is, stopping abruptly.

"Wait, wait... You brought home a black cat on the eve of Halloween?" He asks, his voice going high as if he's actually terrified of the implications.

"You're really going to buy into those superstitions?" she asks, one eyebrow raised incredulously.

"Beckett, you know me. I take these things seriously. This is bad luck and Halloween probably doubles it or something," he finishes on a whisper as if someone is listening in on them.

He genuinely looks paranoid now but he doesn't let go of the kitten who's settled for sleep in his arms.

"It's not real, Castle."

He huffs, looks down at the kitten purring contently in his arms, oblivious to Castle's paranoia. "What if we called him Spooky?"

"You go from trying to convince me that he's bad luck to naming him?" she questions, arching her brow for emphasis.

"Beckett, I'm trying to distract myself from thinking about the demons he could potentially summon."

Kate chuckles but shakes her head at him. Sometimes she can't believe she fell in love with this ridiculous man. She wouldn't change him for anything though, despite his ludicrous fears of unfounded superstitions.

"We aren't calling him Spooky." She's not letting him entertain that choice for long.

"What about Ghost?"

"He's a black cat, Castle." Kate pulls out her phone to order from their favorite Chinese place, taking his suggestion from a few moments ago to order in.

"Cauldron?"

"Will you stop trying to make a Halloween pun with his name?"

"Fangs?" He tries again, ignoring her comment.

"You know, when we have children, you're going to have to get better at this name suggestion thing."

Where did _that_ thought come from? And did she just say that out loud?

They aren't even married yet and she's already thinking about kids. Shit, she is so screwed.

Kate looks up and Castle's eyes are wide with surprise, but they quickly brighten with the lift of his smile.

"Is this like a trial run for you then, Beckett?" He asks, his voice teasing and she would smack him if she didn't want to kiss him so much.

She glares at him, doesn't know what else to do to get out of this one. Yeah, she totally just stepped in it and knowing him, there's no way he's going to forget that comment any time soon. Fortunately, she's saved from answering by the teen who finally answers her call to take her order. She tries to concentrate on what she's saying rather than the fact that she practically just told her fiancé that she wants kids with him while in the process of trying to name a cat.

Not her finest moment.

When she finishes the call, she turns back to Castle, positive her cheeks are still a little flushed but he doesn't seem to be teasing anymore.

"What about Charlie?" The name rolls off his tongue smoothly and... she likes it. A lot, actually. It suits him.

And then she realizes it's not a pun for anything, not nearly as ridiculous as any other name suggestion he's made.

He took her comment seriously. He's... being serious about giving their kitten a good name and she knows she's reaching but it feels like this is his way of telling her he could be serious about wanting to have kids with her too. His way of telling her he's on board without spooking her, despite the fact that she's the one who brought it up in the first place. Only he must have seen how much she surprised herself with the spontaneous admission.

Even now, he still tries to follow her pace, to follow her lead.

God, she doesn't deserve him.

"I like Charlie."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, Castle." She walks over to him, careful not to disturb the tiny ball of black fur in his arms when she reaches for his cheek with one of her hands and brings him down to meet her lips. Kate lets her fingers scratch at the nape of his neck, her mouth reverent against his, teasing with just a swipe of her tongue.

"Want to watch a John Woo movie while we wait for the food?" She suggests when she pulls away.

"How gory of you," he laughs but pecks another kiss to her lips.

"It _is_ Halloween tomorrow."

They settle on the couch comfortably, Kate drapes herself along his side, her knees pulled up to rest against his thigh and lays a blanket across their laps. Castle deposits Charlie down on the thick blanket, and the action finally rouses him. He yawns and picks himself up, pawing his way over to Kate's lap but then circling back to Rick, seemingly unable to decide. He settles for somewhere in the middle, curling up on one of Castle's legs but resting his head on her knee.

Castle starts the movie and she reaches over to scratch the top of Charlie's head, letting him guide her as he angles and twists his neck so that she can reach the spots he wants.

Rick is having trouble concentrating on the movie, too distracted by how attached to Charlie she already seems to be, and her comment about naming their kids is still spinning around in his mind.

They haven't talked about this much, the one occasion being when baby Cosmo had been part of their case and she'd told him that when they'd have kids, she wouldn't let him raise them alone. He's held onto that promise of "when", her choice of words implying that this was a future she envisioned for them, that it wasn't an "if".

But her slip from tonight has his stomach in flutters because apparently she's been thinking about it too. About starting a family with him. And god knows, there's nothing he would want more than that. He wants all of it with her.

The doorbell rings, interrupting his thoughts and he gets up from the couch slowly, trying his best not to wake up Charlie, who is now for the most part asleep on Kate's lap.

He doesn't pause the movie when he gets up, he's seen it already, but he pays the delivery boy and sets up their food at the table.

He's in a good mood tonight, what with her bringing home a kitten and talking about kids. It has him giddy and excited and so he takes the liberty of lighting some candles and dimming the lights slightly. She turns from the couch, probably registering the change in brightness and he can't help smiling when he notices her raised eyebrow.

He's totally allowed to light up candles for his fiancée without any ulterior motives.

"The Chinese food betrays your fancy set up," she observes but he can see the gentle tug of her lips upward. She doesn't totally hate it.

He shrugs, doesn't mind that it doesn't all fit: as long as he can pull a few smiles from her, he'll call it a win.

They take a seat at the table, the movie still playing in the background and they take turns exchanging the cardboard containers, each taking portions of what they want.

"Did you leave Charlie on the couch?" he asks and she smirks.

"Yeah, but he was awake, probably won't stay there for very long."

He nods, reaches for another container. "I'm actually surprised he's been this calm. Kittens are usually a handful, always wanting to play and claw at everyth- Ah!"

He stops mid-sentence, gasping as sharp claws pierce through his pants and scratch along his leg, climbing up to his thigh, his hand knocking over something on the table when his reflexes kick in. Kate is looking at him with wide eyes, but her question is answered when a fluffy black head with pointed ears and piercing greens eyes pop up from under the table on his lap.

"I think he's already figured out the clawing part," Kate chuckles and he narrows his eyes at her. But then he notices what he knocked over.

"Kate," he says, his voice low and serious, gulping at the sight.

"What?" she asks, mid bite, apparently unconcerned.

"The salt. He made me knock over the salt."

"And?" she asks, not following.

"That's bad luck!" he says, looking from the spilled salt container to Charlie who is still on his lap, looking as innocent as ever and sniffing at the food on his plate.

"Castle, I didn't even know that was a thing. It's just a myth."

"Beckett, I don't think you realize the magnitude of this incident. A black cat, made me spill over the salt on the eve of Halloween? We are obviously doomed. Might as well start digging our graves at this point."

Kate rolls her eyes and laughs at him.

"It was just a coincidence, babe. If he had been a white cat, you'd probably still have spilled over the salt when he climbed up your leg. There's no correlation."

"But he isn't white. That's the whole point."

"Are you saying you've changed your mind about keeping him?"

"I just think- But he's... he um," Castle sputters, looks down to the kitten sitting comfortably on his lap, obviously struggling with his attachment to the cat and the superstitions Charlie embodies. Kate opts for the same course of action he took a few minutes ago: distraction.

"We need to think about getting him a litter. And some cat food. Probably kitten food actually because he's still pretty small."

"And some toys," he adds, apparently having already forgotten about his dilemma.

"Of course you're already thinking of the toys," she shakes her head at him, teasing.

"Hey, for practical reasons," Castle argues. "That way he has something other than my leg to claw on and he doesn't ruin the couch."

Kate nods, concedes that he has a point. "And should we have him checked out at the vet?"

"Probably a good idea. I know this guy from when I wrote _Storm Warning_. I'm sure he'd be willing to squeeze Charlie in for a checkup," he says, scratching behind the kitten's ears.

They spend the rest of dinner discussing what they'll need to go out and buy within the next few days, making arrangements and delegating tasks.

"Are we really doing this?" Kate asks, can't help the excitement that leaks through her voice when the question slips for her lips as they finish cleaning up the table.

"We are," he confirms, turning to her with a similarly giddy smile and she lets her body list into his, wrapping her arms around his neck. "We're going to give him a good home."

Kate hums, dips in closer until her lips catch his. He's gentle at first, but then she nips at his bottom lip and he growls, grips her hips and hauls her body against his, allowing her to feel just how much this is something he wants. _Her_ of course – he'll always want her - but also giving this kitten a home with her and potentially giving their children a home with her one day. _That_ is a turn on like no other.

She squeals when he picks her up off the ground, uses her surprise to his advantage when he slips his tongue into her mouth. Kate moans against him and it's all he needs to get his feet moving towards the bedroom.

"Maybe the cat isn't so unlucky after all," Rick mumbles against the skin of her neck as he sets her down on the bed and she laughs.

"You're ridiculous," she says, looking up at him, her hair haloed around her face on the mattress and he can't help but think how he would be happy if he had to live in this moment forever.

"But you love me." He dips his head to sip at her jaw, suckle the spot behind her ear that drives her absolutely crazy.

"I do," it comes out breathy, but she doesn't even care, not when his lips and mouth and tongue feel so damn good on her skin.

And he wastes no time in showing her just how much he loves her too.

* * *

He startles awake at the sound of a piercing crash the next morning. He's lying on his side, spooning Kate and he doesn't want to get up, not when he could spend the next few minutes tracing the outlines of her body with his finger and share some of her body's warmth for a little longer.

But then he remembers Charlie and he should really make sure everything is okay. Something is definitely broken judging by the sound of that crash.

It sounded like it happened pretty nearby and he's about ninety percent sure it came from the bathroom.

He slips from the bed reluctantly and heads towards the en-suite bathroom to see if he can find the source.

Just as he cracks the door open, Charlie comes trotting out, hopping onto the bed with Kate.

Well that's just unfair.

He still turns towards the bathroom, pushing the door open to assess the damage and finds one of Kate's mirrors shattered on the ground.

He turns around to find Charlie pawing at Kate's feet, spinning and curling up at the edge of the bed.

He broke the mirror. Seven years of bad luck.

"Kate!"

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you enjoy this little piece.**

 **-Zoe**

 _Twitter: ZoeKeller_

 _Tumblr: zkalways_


End file.
